Thousands of soldiers flying or busing into Washington, D.C., next month will be sleeping on cots, eating mostly MREs (and hot chow for dinner), and showering in contracted trailers during the Army's multimillion-dollar 250th birthday festivities.

Twenty-eight M1A1 Abrams tanks will be sent to participate in the parade, officials said, though the first trains with the tanks won't depart until later this month.

Tickets are now available for the Army's 250th anniversary "Grand Military Parade" on June 14, when 6,700 soldiers and dozens of tanks and war machines will roll through D.C. Why it matters: D.C.'s first military parade since the Gulf War will end with Army parachuters touching down to present President Trump with an American flag on his 79th birthday,

Army engineers are set to use thick steel plates and perhaps other measures to protect DC's roads during the Army's upcoming 250th birthday parade.

Army Col. Kamil Sztalkoper, a spokesman for the III Armored Corps, said the dog is a Blue Heeler (aka an Australian Cattle Dog) named "Doc Holliday" -- likely a nod to the famous Civil War-era gunslinger played by Val Kilmer in the movie "Tombstone."

Torrance celebrated local military heroes and the 250th anniversary of the United States Army during the city’s 63rd annual Armed Forces Day Parade on Saturday afternoon, May 17. “It was good to see all the branches represented as they should be, protecting us, protecting our freedom,” said Neil Alenik, a Redondo Beach resident.